I had a reviewing frenzy earlier this year and among the books I got through were this lot… each of which I recommend as a great boost for the new school term (whether you go to school or not)…
Kaspar, Prince of Cats – Michael Morpurgo - Harper Collins £5.99
Nobody tells an animal and human adventure story quite like Morpurgo – managing to engage the reader so swiftly with human and, in this case, cat-kind without being cloying or sentimental. Kaspar is a regal black cat who brings together a Savoy hotel bellboy, a Russian opera diva and an American family in a series of highly entertaining episodes culminating with a night to remember aboard the Titanic. Beautifully crafted and compelling, with a touching and satisfying ending.
Distant Waves – Suzanne Weyn – Scholastic £6.99
Bizarrely, another story which boards the Titanic. What Katy Did meets Dr Who in this charming story of five American sisters growing up in a spiritualist town, each seeking their own path. Told from the perspective of second eldest, Jane, Suzanne Weyn weaves fiction around fact, as Jane encounters thwarted 19th century science genius Nikola Tesla and a spiritualism-obsessed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Time and place ring soundly true – which makes its twist all the more surprising and satisfying.
Lifegame – Alison Allen-Gray – Oxford £6.99
Friends against the odds, Fella and Grebe grow up on a grim police state island in a supposedly post-apocalyptic century where books are considered subversive relics. Escaping to the mainland, they find it’s not a contaminated wasteland after all. But this discovery leads them to uncover an even more horrific lie. Chilling and gritty though this is, Allen-Gray creates some characters to care about, some subtle real life parallels and a plot for teens to get their teeth into.
Castle of Shadows – Ellen Renner – Orchard £5.99
A young princess tries to cope with a mentally absent father and a severe lack of food while the castle housekeeper and a power hungry Prime Minster conspire against their royals. Charlie, awkward and rebellious, finds an unlikely ally in Toby, the gardener’s boy, in this Aikenesque delight. An intriguing clue to the disappearance of her brilliant scientist mother leads Charlie deep into danger in a very literal house of cards. An intriguing first novel from a promising new author.
Where I Belong – Gillian Cross – Oxford £6.99
Guns, bandits and supermodels are promised at the outset – and Cross doesn’t disappoint. From the drought slums of Somalia to the catwalks of London we follow the fortunes of Khadija as she struggles to earn money in England to save her family back home. Hope arrives when eccentric celebrity designer Sandy spots Khadija’s modelling star quality. Then Somalia’s infamous bandits step in. A debut before the world’s fashion media is hard enough – without your brother’s life hanging on it.
Little Darlings – Jacqueline Wilson – Random House £12.99 (Hardback)
Half sisters Sunset and Destiny have never met – until now. Destiny’s mother has never stopped reminding her who her rock god dad is. But Sunset has no clue of Destiny’s existence until the love child climbs over her garden wall early one morning. Neither girl has it easy. Destiny’s council estate is desperately deprived, but Sunset’s selfish parents blight her world in other ways. Meeting each other is the first step to some very big life changes… Effortless enjoyment.
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